Rotary expansible chamber devices – Heat exchange or non-working fluid lubricating or sealing – Non-working fluid passage in inner working or reacting member
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-19
2001-09-11
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Rotary expansible chamber devices
Heat exchange or non-working fluid lubricating or sealing
Non-working fluid passage in inner working or reacting member
C418S055600, C184S006180
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287099
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scroll compressor, and more particularly, to a scroll compressor having a structure capable of causing a portion of oil flowing through an oil passage of a crankshaft to flow out of the crankshaft when the scroll compressor is operated at high speed.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 1
, in a general scroll compressor, a fixed scroll
1
and an orbiting scroll
3
each of which has an involute wrap are engaged with each other to face each other, and therefore a plurality of compression chambers P having large and small crescent shapes are formed by side and bottom surfaces of the fixed scroll
1
and the orbiting scroll
3
. Here, the involute wrap of the orbiting scroll
3
is disposed to have a phase difference of 180° with respect to the involute wrap of the fixed scroll
1
.
In the above structure, when the orbiting scroll
3
moves in an orbiting motion with respect to the fixed scroll
1
, and as a compression chamber having a crescent shape moves toward the center portion of the fixed scroll
1
and the orbiting scroll
3
, the volume of the compression chamber is gradually decreased. Consequently, a refrigerant within the fixed scroll
1
and the orbiting scroll
3
is compressed.
Since such a compression operation is continuously and symmetrically performed, the range of variation in load is much narrower than that of a reciprocating compressor or a rotary compressor. Therefore, the scroll compressor is more advantageous than other types of compressors in aspects of vibrations, noises, the efficiency of compression, reliability and the like.
A conventional scroll compressor will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
2
. In a conventional scroll compressor, a refrigerant which flows in the compressor through a suction pipe
5
is supplied to the inside of a fixed scroll
1
and an orbiting scroll
3
through a suction port formed at one side of the fixed scroll
1
.
At the same time, when electric power is supplied to the stator
7
of a motor, the rotor
9
positioned inside of the stator
7
rotates. In addition, a crankshaft
11
is fixedly inserted in the center portion of the rotor
9
, and as the crankshaft
11
rotates with the rotor
9
, the orbiting scroll
3
fixed to an eccentric end of the crankshaft
11
moves in an orbiting motion.
At this time, the orbiting scroll
3
revolves without rotating about the fixed scroll
1
by an Oldham ring
15
seated between a main frame
13
and the orbiting scroll
3
, and the crankshaft
11
is supported by the main frame
13
and a sub-frame
17
at the upper and lower ends of the crankshaft
11
, respectively.
Then, as a compression chamber P is moved toward the center portion by mutual motion of the fixed scroll
1
and the orbiting scroll
3
, the volume of the chamber P is gradually decreased, and the refrigerant within the compression chamber P is compressed. The refrigerant thus compressed by the fixed scroll
1
and the orbiting scroll
3
is supplied to a discharge pipe
19
through a discharge port formed at the center portion of the fixed scroll
1
, and is then discharged to the outside of the compressor through the discharge pipe
19
and circulated into a refrigeration cycle mechanism.
In addition to the above structure for compressing the refrigerant, the scroll compressor includes a structure for smoothly lubricating a compression portion and a mechanical portion. Such a lubricating structure includes an oil storing portion
21
installed for storing oil at the lower portion of the compressor, an oil passage
12
formed through the inside of the crankshaft
11
so that the oil within the oil storing portion
21
can be delivered to the compression portion and the mechanical portion, and an oil pump
23
for supplying the oil within the oil storing portion
21
to the oil passage
12
. Usually, a centrifugal pump, a volummetric pump, a pressure difference pump or the like is used as an oil pump.
However, since, in the above conventional scroll compressor, the amount of oil supplied by the oil pump
23
is increased in proportion to the rpm of the compressor, oil is excessively supplied when the compressor is operated at high speed and the amount of oil supplied to the compression portion is increased. Accordingly, the amount of discharged oil is increased, and there is a problem in which the efficiency of volume of the compressor is lowered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problem, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a scroll compressor having a structure capable of causing a portion of oil flowing through an oil passage of a crankshaft to flow out of the crankshaft when the scroll compressor is operated at high speed so that excessive supply of oil to a compression portion is prevented, oil consumption is decreased, and the efficiency of volume of the compressor is heightened.
Accordingly, to achieve the above objective, there is provided a scroll compressor comprising a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll engaged with each other and forming a compression chamber to compress a refrigerant, and a crankshaft one end of which is connected to the orbiting scroll so as to cause the orbiting scroll to revolve and through the center portion of which an oil passage is formed for passing the oil supplied by an oil pump, wherein an oil discharge port is formed at the crankshaft for discharging the oil passing through the oil passage to the outside of the crankshaft; and a by-pass means which is operated by the centrifugal force of the oil generated by the rotation of the crankshaft and opens or closes the oil discharge port depending on the rotation speed of the crankshaft
61
is installed at the oil discharge port.
In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, the by-pass means comprises a ball valve installed at the oil discharge port so as to move forward or backward by the centrifugal force of the oil for opening or closing the oil discharge port; and an elastic means installed at the crankshaft for pressing the ball valve against the oil discharge port, and the oil discharge port is formed in a funnel shape the sectional area of which becomes wider toward the outer portion of the crankshaft.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the by-pass means comprises a cylindrical valve installed at an oil discharge port to move forward or backward by the centrifugal force of oil for opening or closing the oil discharge port, an elastic means disposed at the outer side of the cylindrical valve for pressing the cylindrical valve against the oil discharge port, and a support means installed at the crankshaft for supporting the elastic means; and the oil discharge port communicates with a cylindrical receiving portion in which the by-pass means including the cylindrical valve is installed, and the inner end portion of the receiving portion communicates with a passage formed to communicate with the outside of the crankshaft.
With the scroll compressor configured as above according to the present invention, since a portion of oil passing through the oil passage of the crankshaft can be discharged to the outside of the crankshaft by providing the oil discharge passage and the by-pass means when the scroll compressor is operated at high speed, excessive supply of oil to a compression portion is prevented, oil consumption is decreased, and the efficiency of volume of the compressor is heightened.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 02-005787 (1990-01-01), None
patent: 04-128586 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 04-143489 (1992-05-01), None
Chang, II Young
Shin Dong Koo
Denion Thomas
LG Electronics Inc.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
Trieu Theresa
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